WSDOT shares bypass information

Community members can find the latest information about the Belfair Bypass, officially known as the Highway 3 Freight Corridor, and leave comments about the project through Feb. 28 at engage.wsdot.wa.gov/sr-3-freight-corridor.

The state Department of Transportation prepared the online open house to present information in the recently completed supplemental environmental assessment, WSDOT spokesperson Mark Krulish told the Journal.

A Feb. 13 public drop-in at North Mason High School featured 24 display boards about the purpose and need for the project, the environmental assessment and the traffic study.

"We encourage anyone who could not make it to the in-person event to check out the online open house and leave their feedback," Krulish said.

The 6.5-mile corridor will provide an alternative for highway users to travel around, and not through, Belfair. The existing segment of state Route 3 through downtown Belfair would become a business loop with connections to state Route 106, state Route 300 and Old Belfair Highway.

Environmental permitting should be completed by fall 2025, access hearing and property acquisition by 2026 with construction starting afterwards, by spring 2026, according to WSDOT.

The supplemental environmental assessment was published in January and updates the 2013 environmental assessment.

Some of the changes include having roundabouts at the north and south connections instead of traffic signals, minimizing or avoiding wetland impacts, eliminating effects to the ballfield at North Mason High School, eliminating the proposed bridge north of the Alta-Brook neighborhood and reducing property acquisitions, the WSDOT website says.

Public comments are also accepted at [email protected] and by phone at 360-570-6699.